I Pray
by MrsAnonymous
Summary: Ulrich starts to abuse Yumi shortly after their wedding. In hopes of escape, Yumi runs away and finds hope in the arms of an old friend. What she found was more than she thought possible. Will she fall pray to Ulrich again? RXR please
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

Disclaimer- I'm bringing back the beloved story that EVERYONE loved. This is the original story and so many people liked it but out of my stupidity I took it off and disappointed everyone. So hopefully more people will read it this time so I can maybe continue the sequel Praying Isn't Always Worth It. And this time I'll actually finish it. Well hope you like it and also, there are quite a few changes but I do remember most of it.

* * *

"Get over here you stupid little bitch," Ulrich shouted from the open front door. 

"Never," Yumi responded, her shoulder-length black hair a mess and her tank top ripped

She had no pants on because Ulrich had burned every pair of shorts and pants she had ever owned or ever tried to own.

Just moments before, Yumi had been sitting on the couch holding herself and crying before Ulrich had come home, drunk as always.

"You dare deny me?" he said in a soft tone, walking up to her as she backed into the corner of the living room. "I give you a place to live and you don't listen to me?"

Yumi's lips quivered as her eyes closed, turning her head to avoid his piercing gaze. His breath stank of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot. His button-down green shirt was stained in sweat and of her blood. The left side was torn up to his mid-waist and the shirt was open to reveal a white beater. That, too, was covered in sweat and blood.

"Well?" he yelled, slapping her face. "Do you still want to deny me?"

"Please. Don't hurt me," she stammered out softly despite her fear and stinging cheek.

"What?" he asked her, opening his eyes a bit more to make himself look even scarier. "What did you say to me, bitch?"

Yumi shank down a little bit before him to make herself seem smaller, feeling his gaze pierce down on her. She felt so small compared to him as she felt more tears escape her eyes and fall though she tried to hold them back because tears were weakness in his eyes. Though she tried she couldn't help it because he was too strong to withstand to.

Ever since they had gotten married, Ulrich had been going out and drinking every night. A week into their newly-wed courtship he was abusing her and treating her like shit. And recently he's been selling her out to his lonely friends who had no wives and watched porn all day while eating like horses. Though some had jobs and had a good living and were good looking, they still liked the thrill of sleeping with and raping another man's woman. Either way they were all pigs.

"You didn't answer me," Ulrich said to her, taking her face in his thick, muscled hands. "What the fuck did you say to me?"

He yelled this to her, his spit flying on her forehead, cheek and lips before he shoved her back into the corner head first. When he let go of her she fell to her knees and started shaking violently as she felt his hand grab her hair and pick her up. She screamed a bit and closed her eyes, feeling her hair pull against her skin. Her fists started swinging at him though he was immune to them

"You'll pay for what you said to me," Ulrich said into Yumi's ear icily, his words like poison.

Ulrich threw her into the coffee table, the glass in the middle of the table breaking under her frail weight. The glass poked into her pale skin, making her yell in pain as she lay on her back, trying to roll over onto her side. Her legs were bent over the wooden side of the table so it prevented her from moving too far.

Ulrich wiped the spit from his mouth and stood over her, watching her weep from fright and from pain. He felt a jolting chill race up his spine and he felt his emotions taking on a pleasurable fantasy. A smile grew on his face as he bent down and lifted her up off the floor and out of the middle of the coffee table. He held her shoulders in his tight grip and his muscles flexed under the green shirt and he looked at her tear-streaked face. Yumi didn't know what had gotten into her but she swung back her fist and surged it up at his face, punching him right in the cheek bone. He stumbled back after he had let her go and she jolted out of the living room and into the dimly lit hallway.

She raced down to the end of the hallway and took a right into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. With her back against the door using all her body weight to hold against him when he came looking for her. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the hard wood as she began to cry freely but just because of the only pain she felt at this point; hurt and betrayal by the one she thought she loved.

"I have to get out of here," Yumi thought to herself while opening her eyes to look around.

The bedroom floor was filled with dirty clothes and burnt piles of her pants and shorts. His clothes overtook the room and her shirts and stained underwear lay buried underneath his shirts, pants and boxers. The bed was off towards the back of the room under the only window that was boarded off but not fully because he was drunk the night he did it but never bothered to finish it. The only board on there was one going from the top right corner going diagonally down to the bottom left corner.

There was no dresser but there was a closet that was used as a trash pile for all his empty bottles of alcohol. The only TV in here was broken and stood under the bed. And the last thing was the stained bed sheets. Her blood and tears had gone into the sheets but never came out.

She began looking around for an escape but the only one came from the window or the way she had just come but that would lead her straight back to Ulrich who wanted to kill her at this point. Or worse. But as she was about ready to head over to it she felt Ulrich push at the door with full force. Her body lurched forward a bit from the blow but then she fell back against it again.

Ulrich pushed at the door again and this time it sent Yumi to the ground. The door was forced open and Ulrich came in wearing his old soccer cleats. Yumi clenched her teeth in pain from the hard landing on the wooden floor, her eyes closed. She tried getting up but not before she heard Ulrich walk over. Soon she felt the sting of the cleats dig into her skull and then her head was back on the floor.

"You have a lot of nerve, don't you?" Ulrich said angrily, spitting on her face. "Now you'll pay for that."

He dug the cleats harder into her skull, making her scream in pain and a fresh batch of tears stung her open eyes along with the blood dripping down and mixing with the salty tears. Relief came as soon as she felt the cleats lift out of her head but then she felt his hands grab her shoulders and drag her over to the bed. She was too weak to fight back anymore so she let him lift her onto the bed, removing her underwear in a swift, ripping movement. His pants were already unzipped and his hard penis was already and ready to penetrate her.

She screamed a little bit as he thrust into her roughly, pinning her hands down and biting her neck as hard as he could to get the taste of her blood in his system to make this an even bigger thrill. Soon she fell unconscious from blood loss.

The next thing Yumi knew she was awakening on the bed in a groggy state. She lifted her head lazily and then had to put it back down because she felt lightheaded. When she was finally able to lift her head, she opened her eyes and looked around the dark room. The door was broken and her memory struck and she knew Ulrich had raped her again. But this was a little bit more brutal than from last night.

Yumi sat up slowly as to not make any noise that Ulrich might hear and to avoid another moment of lightheadedness. When she was in a full sitting position she got up on her feet and looked at her hands which were stained a dark red color. Her blood. She didn't bother too much with that and headed to the door and crept out quietly to hear Ulrich talking to someone in the kitchen. It took a moment to realize he was on the phone.

"Yeah she's passed out in the bedroom yet," Ulrich said to the person on the other end of the phone. "Yeah she's all warmed up for you. Still squirmy."

Yumi covered her mouth in disgust. He was going to sell her out and put her through more pain and hurt tonight.

"Yeah I'll make sure she's awake for you and there's a full case of beer here for you." He said to the person. "I'll see you when you get here. Bye."

She fell silently against the wall in the hallway, still covering her mouth to prevent herself from puking. Her eyes filled with more tears as she began to make her way back to the bedroom. When she got there she crept over to the bed and climbed on it on her knees. Her hands began prying at the board quickly but silently.

She knew she had to get out and tonight. Enough was enough.

Yumi could hardly see through her tear-blurred vision but soon she had pried the board off enough to move it down and open up the window. When she opened it she pushed out the screen and put one leg outside into the cool night air. She was straddled on the window sill and looked back at the door to make sure Ulrich wasn't coming or wasn't already there. When she knew that the coast was clear she lifted her other leg out and jumped onto the ground, falling down from the drop though it was only one story. She regained her balance and took off into the dead of night to a place where she knew she would be safe. At least for a while.

Before she got too far she turned around and looked at the house one last time and cried again. But this time out of happiness. She turned again and took off running, hoping to make it there before rainfall hit.

Soon she heard Ulrich yell her name in the back of her and she began running faster to avoid those death hands. To avoid him but all the while she could still feel him catching her soon if not then.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

Yumi was still running though she had run for about half an hour or more. Her breath was ragged and deep, her lungs aching from Ulrich's constant chain smoking. Otherwise she would have been able to run for hours without any breaks or the breathing difficulties.

When Yumi had reached the freeway she stopped because even if Ulrich did chase her out this far he wouldn't touch her near civilization. Although he could be the kind of sick bastard that didn't care who saw what was happening or not. So she kept running, not stopping for anyone to give her a ride. She couldn't trust anyone at this point except for people she knew really well.

It was already down pouring heavily now so most of the freely running blood was washed away by now, though the marks on her head from the cleats and the bite mark on her neck throbbed in pain. The rain was blurring her vision so when she saw one of something it looked like she was seeing double. She was cold but the running was keeping her warm.

Finally, Yumi stopped and fell to her knees on the wet grass. It was there that she realized she had on a new pair of underwear. Ulrich must have done that when she was passed out for his friend when he came over. Her shirt was still the same though. The tattered black tank-top she had loved years ago. She'd have taken it off then and there but not in the rain and in the open. Who knew what other sick perverts roamed around at night?

"You fucking bastard," Yumi said quietly to herself as a car drove by and stopped. "You'll pay for what you did to me."

She heard a car door slam behind her and footsteps coming up to her.

"Ma'am are you alright?" a man asked her.

The voice was calm, smooth, gentle and inviting. Though some of Ulrich's friends had that as well.

Yumi got up and began walking away from the man and headed along down the side of the freeway.

"Ma'am?" the guy had called to her, trying to get her attention.

Yumi acted like she wasn't listening and kept on walking. The man behind her gave up and must have walked back to his car and took off because she heard the sound of a vehicle drive off. Then she was alone again, which was better for her for now.

She kept on walking, running here and there when she had the lung strength. By not it had to be close to midnight if not already past. Ulrich would have found her by now if he had decided to come look for her. So she decided to think that he was at home pacing back and forth with nothing to do. Soon she felt safe at last and kept walking.

She had been walking for about two hours now, feeling farther away from that monster than ever before. She was safe for now.

Yumi kept walking and when she saw the many lights of the town, she began sprinting as fast as she could through the rain and wet, slippery grass. She had stepped in a few mud puddles and encountered many glowing yellow eyes of the wild animals taking refuge from the sloshing rain. Her breath turned ragged and harsh again but she couldn't stop running. Just as she had neared the population sign, a jeep sped past her and stopped dead on. She stopped to see who it was though her instincts told her to keep running towards safety. The driver side door slammed closed and Ulrich came storming up around the back.

Yumi backed up and tried running but he had already grabbed her wrist.

"You dirty little rotten bitch," Ulrich shouted at her. "You tried running when I told you not to."  
"Let me go!" Yumi shouted at him, pounding at his chest and struggling to get away.

"No. You're going to die you dirty whore and I'm going to be the one to do it. No one is ever going to find you so it'll be our little secret." He said this last part in her ear through gritted teeth while holding her to his chest tightly.

"No!" she shouted, struggling in his grasp. "You'll never hurt me again. Let me go you son of a bitch!"

Ulrich just tilted his head back and let out a great big laugh. Yumi took this advantage to bend her head down and bite his arm, sinking her teeth into his skin and tasting his blood. He yelled in pain and let her loose. She stumbled a bit and threw up on the grass from the dull and horrid taste of his flesh. He was still howling in pain when she was done so she took this time to start running again. She almost slipped a few times but soon she felt the pavement of the sidewalk beneath her feet, giving her better traction.

By now a fresh batch of tears were starting in her eyes as she continued to run. She took a left down the road turning off of Main Street. The rocks down this street were now digging into her feet but she didn't care. The farther from him the better. Some people were looking out of their windows to see her running.

She must have looked half crazy because of the ripped tank-top and underwear being the only pieces of clothing she had on her back.

Yumi's breath came short now and she could hardly even see anymore. She turned off the street and into a yard with a big house settling it. The house was two stories and painted white. The roof was low but just the right height. There was a patio going all the way around it and the door was solid white oak. The thing she saw first was that the lights were on inside the house, meaning someone was up.

Yumi collapsed on the lawn and found she couldn't get back up to make it up the three stairs and to the door despite the efforts she made to get up. She felt around on the lawn to find something she could throw at the door to get the attention of the owner. Her hands only grasped at wet grass for what seemed liked forever until she found two rocks almost right next to each other. She picked one up and threw it with what strength she had left at the door. It struck the wood with a loud thud that even she could hear.

"Help!" Yumi yelled as loud as she could manage through the tears and rain.

Thunder sounded behind her and she threw the last rock at the door. Her tears started again but in worry that no one would be able to hear her. She didn't know how far behind Ulrich was from her. And she was running out of time the longer it took. She closed her eyes and laid her head on the soft, wet ground and wept to herself. A few seconds after she did, the front door of the house opened and a tall figure stood there, looking around out into the dark. She saw him and wished he would turn on the porch lights.

When she saw him turn around she yelled in agony, "No, please! Wait!"

The person heard her and turned back around to look harder through the dark.

"Over here," she said a little quieter but still audible over the rain.

The person ran down the steps toward her, his blonde hair becoming visible in the dark as he came nearer. Yumi looked up at him, tears still rolling down her face. She looked up into his eyes and looked at his face.

"Yumi?" he asked her in surprise.

"Please. Help me Odd," Yumi stuttered, frightened and shaking.

Odd gently picked her up in his arms and carried her back up the three steps to his open front door. Yumi laid her head against his shoulder and laid one arm at the base of his neck on the opposite shoulder, feeling safe at last.

Odd kicked the door shut and carried her down the hallway of the warm house and took a left into his living room.

The walls were a creamy white with the same colored plastered ceiling. In the way back of the room in the middle of the wall was a plasma screen TV and under it a small entertainment center with a DVD/VCR and plenty of action adventure, horror and comedy movies. The couch was lining the right wall, the matching loveseat and recliner taking up the opposite wall. In the middle of them stood a polished pine wood coffee table with a beautifully designed rug underneath it. The carpet was a navy blue color and the walls were covered in framed pictures of celebrities that had signed them and framed newspaper articles.

Odd laid Yumi down on the couch and wiped her soaking wet hair out of her face. He got up and left the room to what must have been the bathroom because he returned with four towels. He sat her up and began to towel dry her hair with the first towel. Once her hair was fairly dry, he left again and returned with a change of his clothes. He removed her shirt and bra and started to dry her upper body off with the second towel before pulling his over-sized shirt over her head. He removed her soaking wet underwear and dried off her legs and the rest of her lower body with the third towel. After that he placed his boxers on her frail waist and used the fourth, larger towel to wrap her up in.

"Stay here. I'm going to get you some coffee to warm you up," Odd told her before getting up to leave again.

Yumi looked after him and then began to look around at the living room. She was shaking under the towel but felt warmer under the dry clothes and clean towel. She hadn't felt this much at home in a while but she felt a little uncomfortable because she knew she would have to show Odd all the wounds that Ulrich had given her over those few years. She knew he would ask about why she had turned up at the time that she did. He hadn't seen them yet from when he was drying her off because he was too busy trying to get her into warm, dry clothing and out of the wet ones she was in.

And the thing is that Odd didn't even know about everything that Ulrich had put her through before she made the decision to run away from him.

Odd returned shortly after with a cup full of steaming hot coffee. He handed it to her when he had walked over and then knelt down before her, staring at her with a pitiful expression that was inviting. But she chose to avoid his eyes and drink the warm coffee.

"Yumi," Odd asked her when he saw she wouldn't look back at him.

"Yeah," Yumi responded, trying to avoid crying in front of him.

"What happened to Ulrich?" he asked, thinking something bad had happened to his best friend.

She shook her head and said, "Nothing."

"Then why did you turn up in front of my house? What happened?"

She pursed her lips, closed her eyes and felt a hot tear roll down her cheek as she pushed her hair away from her neck with a shaking hand. When odd saw the multiple bite scars and a fresh bite, his jaw dropped.

"He did this to you?" Odd asked her.

Yumi hesitated but nodded slowly a couple times and then showed him her arms. Her arms were covered in cigarette burns and scratches while her upper arms consisted of cuts from knives and broken glass. She spread her legs out before him to show him bruises and gashes, some still open and infected. The last thing she showed him was the puncture wounds from his cleats.

Odd was horrified by every little thing she showed him as he looked at all the various wounds over and over again. Nothing in the world had prepared him for seeing one of his friends beaten up by another of his friends. He had dealt with dead and mutilated bodies with a well-handled stomach, but seeing this made him queasy and sick. He looked up at her and stared at her face.

"Tell me what happened Yumi," Odd said.

Yumi started to explain to him everything that had happened the past few years after their wedding night. She started out with that night when he had first started drinking uncontrollably. From there she had explained to him how he lost his first job as a technician from the lack of not showing up and how he went through all of his other jobs that he couldn't keep because of his alcohol abuse. She explained the first time he had started to abuse her and how each time it happened it had gotten worse. Her tears started to fall harder when she stated how he turned sex into a game that he played with his new friends.

By that time, Odd had crawled onto the couch with her but didn't do anything but rub her back to reassure her that he was still there at the times she had paused and started to look around at her environment.

Odd saw how shaken up she was because of Ulrich and with every gruesome detail he heard from her, his hatred towards Ulrich grew even more.

When Yumi had finished she had laid her head on Odd's shoulder and began to cry uncontrollably. Odd's arms had found their way around her and he sat there, holding her gently as she cried herself to sleep. When he knew that she was surely asleep, he gently picked her up and carefully brought her up the spiral staircase and into his bedroom.

He turned on the light switch with his elbow and carried her over to his king size bed and laid her down on the plush fabric. He pulled the covers over her body and walked to the door again, looking at her sleeping figure one last time before turning off the lights and closing the door.

Odd walked back down the spiral staircase and turned off the upstairs hall lights. He walked down the hall to the kitchen and walked up to the kitchen counter.

He looked out of the window and out on the front yard, looking for any sign of Ulrich. Half of him wanted Ulrich to show up and the other half of him wanted Ulrich to stay away from here and away from Yumi. After what he had done to Yumi, he wanted to kill him.

Odd walked to the phone and picked it up. He blocked his number and dialed Ulrich's house number.

It rang five times before it went straight through to the answering machine.

He waited for the beep before he began speaking into the receiver, putting all of his weight on one arm as he leaned up against the granite tiled counter top, looking down at the cream tiled flooring.

"Ulrich I swear if I ever find you, I'll kill you. You hurt Yumi and you won't get away with it. I promise you that much more in this friendship," Odd said before he hung up the phone.

Odd nearly threw the phone in disgust but refrained himself from doing so. Instead he set the phone back on the charger and turned off the lights before he left the kitchen. He walked to the living room and turned off those lights as well as the downstairs hall lights before he made his way over to the couch. He grabbed the spare blankets from the end of the couch and pulled them up to his chin.

He wrapped himself up in it and closed his eyes to try and fall asleep, but he already knew it would take a while before sleep caught up with him knowing that thoughts of killing Ulrich were on his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

* * *

Yumi woke up to the sound of an engine start, back out of the driveway and drive off down the road. She sat up and looked around the room, confused about her location but then remembered she was at Odd's but she didn't remember how she got in his room.

The walls were a light blue swirled with a darker blue that looked bumpy and rough but extremely smooth when you ran your hands across it. There was one larger window and on either side of it were two smaller windows, all with a painted black window frame and sill. Across the room was a dresser that was a dark color and came up to Yumi's waist. There was picture frames with old pictures behind the glass and a revolver lying on top of black velvet. A mirror hung on the wall directly above the dresser. To the left of the bed there was a light brown closet door that led into a big walk-in closet. To the right of the bed was another light brown door, but sanded and polished, that lead into the master bathroom.

Yumi brought her legs down over the edge of the king size bed and let her feet tough light blue plush carpet. She realized she was still wearing Odd's clothes and decided that they were more comfortable to wear now than last night when she was wet from the rain.

Yumi was fully awake now though she didn't want to leave the comfort of the warm, soft quilt and blankets. She did anyways because she really had to go to the bathroom and it couldn't wait any longer.

The bathroom was almost all white.

The tiles were a white color with swirls of gold here and there. There was a whirlpool tub in the back right corner with a step going up towards it. In the left corner closest to her was a light golden colored shower that looked like a tub as well. It was rounded and there was a step going into the bottom layer of it and another step in the bottom going up to the top most section. The silver shower head loomed over that layer and as she could see, the bottom layer had three silver drain covers covering up the drains and the walls of the top section had another three silver drains but they went through the wall of the top layer and drained into the bottom layer. To finish up the details of the beauty of the shower, there were plated glass doors that clicked open and close at the push of a button but when inside the shower you had to manually open and close it yourself.

The counter tops were white with many specks of gray and black and the counter itself was a creamy colored stained wood, the handles and knobs an offset and fake gold. The toilet was white, but shined in the crystal-like lighting that was illuminating the entire bathroom. The last detail in the room was the fake gold towel rack. It was simple but held that soft elegance that made the bathroom look and feel complete; whole.

When Yumi had done her business, she returned to Odd's room and took a look around to see if there were other things that she couldn't see from the bed. She first searched the closet and found nothing in there besides for police officer uniforms, several white shirts like the one she was wearing, dress shirts, two tuxedos, and about twenty comical t-shirts. One of the shelves above the bars contained empty boxes and a few stowed away holiday decorations.

When she didn't find anything more of interest within the large closet, she walked out, saw the motion light go out and closed the door behind her.

Yumi then walked to the bed again and got down on her stomach, quickly scanning under the bed before deciding nothing else was interesting under there besides a few balls of fuzz. She made her way across the room to the dresser but didn't take into recognition the many pictures at first. The dresser was wider than what she saw from the bed so there were many more pictures then what she could see.

She began to open the drawers slowly, feeling how they slid in and out with ease. All she found was many pairs of blue jeans, black jeans, black cotton pants which must be his police uniform pants. Her curiosity was settled with what was inside the drawers so she focused her attention on the pictures.

She felt like a little kid just seeing all this stuff for the very first time.

Yumi picked up a few of them and felt the beautifully designed black-dyed framework. Many of the pictures were of their graduation; one was of Yumi from the year she graduated in and of course the many pictures of Odd and Ulrich teasing Sissy. Her attention mainly came around three pictures.

The first picture was of them, the entire gang. It was of her, Odd, Ulrich, Aelita, and Jeremy.

Yumi could remember when the picture was taken and by who. Emily had taken that picture for them on the day that Jeremy had left to go to another private school. Aelita had been heartbroken and Yumi had no idea if they found one another again or not.

The second picture was of Odd holding Kiwi.

That struck her because the day Kiwi had died she was the only one there with Odd.

Kiwi had gotten out of the room again and ran for it. Yumi had seen him first and took after him but couldn't catch him on time before he hit the road and got hit by a mail truck. All Yumi could do was pick up Kiwi and bring him to Odd so he could say goodbye to Kiwi one last time.

Kiwi had died in Odd's arms and Yumi had done what no one else did; keep his dog alive until Odd could let him go himself. That same day they had buried him in the dog park where Odd had always brought him on weekends.

The third picture she took notice to was of Odd again maybe a couple years ago. He was kneeling in front of the police station in town here and he was holding a leash that was connected to the collar of a beautiful German Sheppard. Her fur was a magnificent golden brown with a shiny black fur overlapping the brown on her back. Odd's other hand was around the dog and he was smiling.

Yumi started to wonder about the dog and if she was still in Odd's possession.

When her curiosity of the room was settled, she walked out into the upstairs hallway and saw the spiral staircase leading downstairs. She descended and came to the downstairs hallway and walked to the front door, noticing that Odd's car wasn't there in the driveway and a note was taped to the glass going down the middle of the door. She read it carefully.

"I went to work. I'll be back later tonight around seven or seven-thirty. Help yourself to the food or watch a movie. See you then.

Odd"

Yumi took the note and found her way to the kitchen.

She noticed the granite counter tops first and the tiled floors last. In between those she noticed the stainless steel two-door refrigerator. The left door had an ice and water dispenser. In the back towards the middle of the kitchen was a two-sided stainless steel sink that was completely free of dishes. To the left stood the table and china cabinet. The table was a dark polished wood with two matching chairs that were pushed in. The cabinet was a lighter colored polished wood with two big glass doors and bronze knobs and handles. Inside the glass doors there were good china with flowered designs around the rims. At the bottom of the cabinet were three closed doors that held silverware and dish towels.

There were only four cupboards with a light colored polished wood that held paper plates, regular white colored clay plates, light blue plastic cups and white clay coffee cups like the one she had used the night before. To the right of her was a dishwasher and garbage disposal right next to one another.

To her left against the wall was a walk-in pantry filled with canned, boxed and bagged food. She looked in there and found a bag of chips and took those out. She left the bag clip on the counter and walked to the living room with them and sat down on the couch.

The remote was on the coffee table so she picked it up and turned on the TV. She flipped the channel until she found a channel she liked.

When the TV channel she wanted settled, she saw the time. It was already two-thirty so she had plenty of time to herself before Odd would get home.

Yumi got absorbed in her show and soon her head hit the pillow on the couch. Her eyes became victims of sleep again and soon she couldn't keep them open anymore.

Yumi was asleep in minutes.

When Yumi woke up the next, it was already seven at night. She got up off the couch and checked to see if Odd was home yet. She went to the front door and looked outside but she didn't see his car so she figured he wasn't home yet. Her shoulders slumped in disappointment and she turned away from the door and headed back to the kitchen.

When she got there she heard the phone ring. Since it wasn't her phone, she ignored it and went back into the living room.

She watched TV for the next ten minutes before she heard the front door open and close again.

Yumi got up and nearly ran out of the living room to go and see Odd. When she saw him, he had a solemn look on his face.

"Is everything OK Odd?" Yumi asked him questioningly.

"I found a home for you. It's for girls like you that just got out of an abusive relationship. They'll keep you safe and protected until you can be relocated to a secure home that they can provide for you," Odd answered her, walking past her.

"What?" she asked him, surprised. "Why can't I stay here with you?"

"Because it's not safe," he answered simply, turning to face her. "If Ulrich finds you here you'll be in more trouble. They have an open room and I already offered you to fill it up. It's too late to go back on it. You'll be leaving here next week."

Yumi stood in the hallway, shocked and stunned. Never did she think Odd would do this and send her away. He would always be the one to try and help her but now he was pushing her away. Did she comfort Odd all those times in the past for nothing? Just for this?

Yumi followed Odd into the kitchen and saw him standing by the phone. He was about ready to play the unread message on the answering machine but he noticed Yumi.

"I know you don't want to go. But trust me. You'll be safer there than here. It'll only be a matter of time before Ulrich finds out where you are. Then he'll come crashing through this door and kill you. Maybe even me," Odd said to her, seeing the disappointment flash through her eyes.

Yumi looked down at the floor as Odd's hand reached towards the play button. There was a crackling noise that played for a few seconds before they both heard Ulrich's voice.

"I know you know where Yumi is, Odd. You can block your number but you can't disguise your voice. When I find out where that bitch is, I'll kill her. If I find out you're hiding her, I'll kill you, too."

The message ended there with the hang-up of the phone. Odd looked at Yumi and she looked at him as well, him walking up to her and embracing her tightly.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

"This is exactly what I was talking about. When Ulrich finds out where you are we're both dead," Odd justified to Yumi, still standing in the kitchen while Yumi sat at the table.

"But he doesn't know I'm here," Yumi protested.

"We both know it's just a matter of time," he said in defense, going to sit next to her in the other chair. "He won't find you in this home where I'm sending you. They have no known address so he won't find it. I know you want to stay here and believe me, I don't want you to go either but it's the only choice right now."

"But why can't I stay here knowing you'll protect me from him? You're an officer and he can't do anything to you," she said, looking down at the floor.

"He's a sick bastard Yumi! If he did all of this to you then think of what he could do to me. Yes I'm a police officer but I can't do anything to him without any proof of conviction."

"How do you know this?"

"Even if you testify against him in a court room, you can't use those wounds as proof of abuse. One, they'll be healed by the time it would reach a courtroom and two, no jury will believe someone who stutters and begs as well as someone who can play the mask as well as Ulrich can."

"When did we talk about bringing him to court? I was talking about shooting his ass to hell."

Odd pounded his fists on the table and bent his head down towards it before saying, "It's not that simple. I can only shoot someone who poses a threat to me or if he runs from the law. I can avoid threats and death just as well as you can by going to that home."

Yumi held back her tears. She ran away from Ulrich to come find Odd and in less than twenty-four hours he was trying pushing her out the door.

Odd looked up at her confused and distraught face. He felt bad but it was the only thing he could do. After Ulrich and her got married, he got it through his head that he would never be able to be with her. He didn't want to fall for her again and then in the end lose her all over again. It was hard enough the first time watching her walk down the aisle to Ulrich and then years later see her crawling to his door because Ulrich stopped loving and caring for her.

"Yumi, I know it seems like I don't want you here but don't start believing that," Odd said in a softer tone, taking his hand and placing it delicately over hers. "I want you to stay here because it gets lonely without someone here but it's what's best for you. You'll get the protection and the care you truly need and deserve right now."

"But what will happen after that? Will you still be here for me when I get out or will you have forgotten me?" Yumi asked him, starting to cry.

"I won't forget you but I can't promise I won't be with someone. But that's all we can be is friends," he answered her question.

"OK," she said. "OK I'll go."

"Thank you."

Odd embraced her again and kissed her forehead softly.

"So when do you think Ulrich will find out that I was here?" Yumi asked him, clearing her tears.

"Ulrich may be tricky but he isn't that smart. If he was he would have realized that you could get out of that window long ago," Odd replied to her, her upper arms in his hands. "So if he does figure it out, you'll be long gone and safe."

"I hope so. I really do."

Yumi was still confused about why Odd was acting so differently around her now than when they were back in school. It was some kind of reverse psychology that made him immune to her attention but when he liked her, she was immune to his attention. It wasn't something that could be easily explained and then it would be all done in three seconds. This would take a lot longer to figure out but she didn't think a week would be enough time. But Odd didn't want both their lives to be at risk by living together so there was no way to argue her way out of this one.

Then an odd thought came to her.

"_Am I falling for Odd?"_ Yumi though to herself as Odd got up to prepare food for them. _"All of a sudden it seems as if he's the one for me but we've been only friends since we had first met. If something like this was going to happen then it would have happened by now."_

Yumi turned to look at Odd who now had his shirt off and folded neatly on one of the counters. His forearms were big and muscular but they weren't huge and oversized. His chest was perfectly toned with a small but visible six pack.

Odd turned to look at her and noticed that her eyes were already fixed on him. She felt a blush creep over her cheeks and she turned her head to avoid his gaze just as she had done for Ulrich so many times.

Odd just laughed and said, "I'm sorry Yumi. I should have warned you first. I'm normally always cooking with my shirt off because since I come home late to eat I don't feel like changing just yet. Not until bed. But no one likes staining their clothes so I just take it off for cooking."

_"OK it's official. I now have a crush on Odd. My best friend since school,"_ Yumi concluded in her mind.

"Yumi?" Odd asked, confused at her silence.

She looked at him and asked, "Yeah?"

"You weren't talking so I thought you were looking into the future or something," he said to her.

"Oh. It was nothing. I was just a little stunned was all.

"That'll pass. Trust me. You'll get more adjusted to it. I promise."

Yumi nodded and continued to stare at the floor even when he turned back to cooking.

Eventually she turned to look at him again. They started talking, asking questions and laughing. And sure enough, he was right. She got over the awkwardness and it was as if he never took off his shirt. It was just like his skin _was _his shirt and he was just wearing a sweater when he put on a real shirt.

Odd was going through cupboards, looking for pots and pans, stirring spoons, plates and silverware. He left the china cabinet alone except for a dish towel so Yumi thought the entire set of china was just for show.

When Odd finished using a dish, he placed it in the sink. One side of the sink was filled with cold water for the burning hot dishes and the other side was empty for the already cooled dishes.

Odd was so neat and well organized it was hard to tell when he stopped doing one thing and started on another. His movements were quick and precise; flawless. It could have been the fact that Yumi was so absorbed in the conversation that she hadn't even noticed when he moved.

Strangely enough, Yumi was completely comfortable and felt as if Ulrich wasn't a part of her life and that he never was. She kind of liked it.

Odd came to the table with two plates but left again and came back with another of the chairs and placed it on his other side. He grabbed a third plate and sat down in his spot, looking at Yumi.

"Is everything all right?" Odd asked when Yumi stared at the third plate and nothing else.

"I was just wondering who was going to be eating with us since we're the only two in this house," Yumi replied, trying not to think the worst.

Just then the doorbell rang.

"I'll be right back," Odd said, getting up to answer the door.

Yumi sat still and looked at the ground, trying to think of who it would be and why Odd didn't tell her someone else was joining them.

Odd returned, minutes later, with a girl. Yumi looked at her and examined her.

The girl had mid-back length blonde hair with her bangs pulled back in a clip. She was skinny but didn't look like she was anorexic. Her attire was a blue mini skirt and her shirt was a button-down blouse. The design was elegant and elaborate as well as beautiful. She had a light tan and the brilliance of her hair showed all the more because of it. Her calves were elegantly and perfectly toned as well as her thighs and waist and hips. Her eyes were a brilliant blue that looked like they came from the sky and could reflect the sun itself. She also had little spots of light brown freckles, and her smile was simply amazing, completed with dimples.

She was almost perfect.

"Yumi, this is Cadence, my fiancé," Odd introduced. "And Cadence, this is my friend, Yumi."

Yumi felt in-superior to Cadence and she fell into a stage of awkwardness again for she was still wearing Odd's clothes and in front of his fiancé. She didn't know what to do or how to act because she was heartbroken as well as fearful that Cadence would leave Odd from the wrong impression.

"Hello, Yumi. It's so nice to meet you," Cadence said, her voice floating majestically as if it were made of only air and music.

"Hello," Yumi said in return, her voice cracking. "It's nice to meet you, too."

Cadence continued to smile but something else flashed in her eyes that Odd couldn't see.

Odd pulled out the chair for Cadence and then pushed it back in for her after she had sat down. He then took his place between the two of them.

Conversation was seldom and only started when Cadence did something cute or spilled something on accident. Everything she did was _cute _to Odd and it got quite old and annoying, but Yumi dealt with it and tried to avoid their conversations as much as possible unless they were directing a question to her, or were asking her for her opinion. Most of the time it was her opinion of Cadence, or of what Cadence was wearing, or of something that had to be related to Cadence.

Half an hour after dinner had started, Yumi had finished and Odd and Cadence were still only centered on one another. Cadence didn't even seem to take notice that Yumi was in his clothes and if she did take notice, she was hiding it well.

Yumi pushed her chair out from under the table and got up, bringing her plate to the sink and rinsing it off to be nice. What Odd had made was delicious but the taste for it left when they wouldn't shut up about Cadence. She began to leave the room before she stopped and turned to face odd.

"I'm going to get in the shower and then come down to go to bed," Yumi informed them.

Odd turned to face her and said, "Until you're gone I'm sleeping on the couch. You get my room and my bed and don't complain about it."

Yumi nodded but wasn't happy at the thought of having his bed when he was engaged to Cadence. It was preposterous and wrong but she learned not to argue with authority or higher power. Ulrich and gotten that through her head when they got married.

When Yumi reached the top of the staircase, she heard the scraping of chairs in the kitchen and she knew Odd and Cadence had gotten up and were ready to do something. Instead of letting it bother her further, she went into Odd's room and closed the door behind her. She made her way to his dresser and pulled out another pair of his boxers and then headed to the closet to pick out a shirt. She looked through the ones with cartoons on them but finally settled for one with Pluto, Mickey Mouse's dog, on the front and the Warner Bros. logo on the back.

Yumi entered the luscious bathroom and closed that door as well. She quickly undressed and tossed the clothes off to the side and placed the clean ones on the counter next to the sink. Her image in the big vanity mirror showed the truth as to why Odd didn't feel the same about her. She turned from side to side and revealed many other wounds that were inflicted by Ulrich that she never showed Odd.

There was a big, gruesome bruise that was black and blue and green and very swollen. It was located right above her left hip bone and just brushing against it made it sting like the night Ulrich had given it to her by hitting her with a steel baseball bat. Up above the bruise towards her armpit was a small gash. This was where Ulrich had stabbed her when he tripped and fell against her. The most horrible, gut-twisting wound she had was a long, thick scar that went from her left pelvic hip-line to under her right breast.

She had gotten this the night of their first anniversary when he had come home drunk as always. He had bought a bottle of rum and was drinking it on his way home though it wasn't Ulrich who did it. It was, in fact, her fault because when he came home he started shouting at nothing and to escape him she had crawled in a little place in the wall he didn't know about at first. She had wedged in the space as far as she could go but she hadn't seen the piece of metal sticking out of the duct work so when she tried to turn around, it sliced her front side.

Yumi had screamed after she felt a sharp, searing pain and when Ulrich had found her, he had been generous enough to pull her out and clean the wound but only for a while.

The very next day he had sealed up that space but he didn't work on the window.

Yumi braced her arms over her upper half, feeling her nipples get harder from the cold of the bathroom. She turned away from the mirror and went to the glittering shower and pressed a button to open the glass door. The plaster and the design of the layers in the shower were a bit rough but smooth against her feet. She stepped up to the top most section where the manual water setting knobs were. To get it to start automatically, she would have had to start it from on the outside on the control panel on the door with the open and close buttons.

Yumi turned the hot and cold handles and got the water to flow nice and easy. When it was just the temperature she wanted it set at, she eased under the warm water and tilted her head up towards the water. Her eyes were closed but it felt as if her eyes were being cleansed as well as her body. She straightened her head again and opened her eyes, rinsing her dirty hair under the running water, watching as bits of dried blood dropped down and emptied into the drain. Dirt turned into murky water as it washed out of her hair and fingernails.

The shampoo and conditioner were found close by so she grabbed the shampoo and worked it into a lather throughout her hair. After she rinsed out the shampoo her hands reached for the conditioner and worked the clumpy mixture into her snarls and snags and worked them loose. Both the shampoo and conditioner smelled of lilies. Instead of rinsing out the conditioner right away like she had the shampoo, she let it sit in while she used the body wash to cleanse the rest of her body. Once she was completely clean, she rinsed out the conditioner and stepped down to the bottom step and pushed open the door, stepping out, closing it, and then turning off the water by the push of a button.

Yumi grabbed the nearest towel on the towel rack and began to dry herself off, careful of the now infected bite wound on her neck. Once she was all dry, she grabbed the boxers and shirt and slipped them both on almost instantaneously. She grabbed the brush and began working that through all the knots which came out surprisingly smoothly but it could be because of the bristles of the brush which were made of dried and starched horse hair.

Once she was completely done, she examined herself in the mirror and grabbed the dirty clothes, leaving the bathroom and turning off the lights.

Yumi threw them aside in a pile of other dirty clothes and opened the bedroom door and stepped into the dark hallway. She heard the TV on low downstairs and the arguing voices of Odd and Cadence. She was curious so she tip-towed halfway down the staircase and sat in between the railings, listening to them.

"Because she's wearing your clothes, she's sleeping in your bed. She's even staying here for a week. Would anyone trust you?" Cadence yelled furiously.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing. We've been together for over a year and you still don't trust me? This is pathetic, Cadence."

"What?" she asked in disbelief. "_This_ is pathetic? You're the one sharing your home with someone other than your fiancé!"

"Yumi is a friend and nothing more! We've been friends since middle school and she came to me for help! My other so-called friend got married to her and he abused her! I'm not letting her go on the streets! I found her a secretive home and she'll be out of here in a week."

Odd was furious by the sound of his voice. Yumi had never heard him shout like that before.

"It doesn't matter! Anything between you and her could happen. Either she goes or I do."

There was silence from the two for a long time. Yumi didn't want Odd to leave his fiancé and she didn't want Cadence to leave Odd because of her.

The silence was long and dreadful but she hoped Odd would choose Cadence but then where would Yumi go?

Finally Odd spoke.

"I choose her. If you can't accept the fact that I won't leave a friend in need on the street then you're not worth my time," Odd said.

"Alright. Fine. Goodbye, Odd," Cadence replied.

She didn't sound in the least bit heartbroken about it.

Yumi heard Cadence walking out of the living room and soon she saw her walking into the hallway, hearing her angry footsteps echoing on the hard wood flooring. The door slammed closed and a minute after that, she heard a car start and speed off down the road into the night.

Yumi was happy and yet at the same time disappointed. Cadence was obnoxious, yes, and self-centered but Odd loved her and Yumi couldn't help but feel it was all her fault.

She got up and headed back up the stairs to Odd's room. She closed the door behind her and walked over to the bed, laying down on the plush bed and resting her head on the pillow.

It took Yumi a long time to fall asleep with thoughts of the fight between Odd and Cadence on her mind but eventually she fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

* * *

A week had gone by and in that entire time Odd and Yumi hadn't seen or heard from Cadence again. Although it still bugged Yumi that Odd chose her, a helpless friend, over his beautiful fiancé, Odd stopped talking about her so it was as if Cadence had never existed.

Within that week, Odd had two days off of work so on one of those days he brought her shopping but being as Yumi couldn't enter any stores in just boxers, Odd had let her borrow a pair of pants and a belt. She had been dazzled at the many sights and sounds of the town and different department stores because she hadn't been to one since her and Ulrich had gotten married. Odd couldn't help but laugh but he knew he would have been the same way if he had gotten married to a woman that went psycho on him and kept him locked up in a house for three years.

After four hours of shopping, Odd and Yumi had left the mall with eight pairs of jeans, three pairs of dress pants, about twenty different T-shirts, and baby T's, five bras, ten pairs of underwear, five sets of pajama pants and boxer shorts, ten pairs of socks, a pair of sandals for dressing up, and a pair of running shoes for everyday.

Odd had spent a lot of money on Yumi but she needed the clothing so she would have something for the home, and he kept on insisting for her to choose what she wanted.

The other day that he had off was the day she would be leaving. He took her out to eat for lunch and then they went to go and see a movie. Yumi felt good to be able to join the public again and she couldn't help but show off one of her new outfits to the air itself. Odd had a good time and he couldn't help but pay a lot of attention to her. She looked completely dazzling and beautiful and he couldn't help but notice the way her eyes now sparkled in the sunlight. At times he was at a loss for words so he just looked away and began to speak again. Yumi never took a notice of that because she was too preoccupied at the different sights and views.

When Odd and Yumi returned back to the house, they headed inside and began to gather Yumi's new clothes and personals. When they were in his room, Yumi noticed the picture of Odd and the German Sheppard again and picked it up, turning to the closet where Odd was dwelling in at the moment.

"What happened to this dog?" Yumi called to him, staring at the picture while hearing him walk to the open closet door.

"What dog?" Odd asked as he stepped out of the closet and started to walk towards her.

Yumi showed him the picture inside the frame that she was holding and once Odd saw it, he took it and sat down. She sat down next to him and watched his tortured expression. Odd never cried easily and the look he was making now seemed to make him look close to it. His hands were gently gripping the black frame and his eyes stared hard at the German Sheppard.

"Are you OK?" Yumi asked after a few minutes when he wasn't talking.

"Yeah," Odd said almost instantly. "Yeah I'm fine."

Yumi wasn't sure how to respond but gladly she didn't have to because he started to speak again soon after.

"Her name was Calais, named for the city in France where I bought her from. She was a beautiful, well-trained dog that I had since she was a puppy, but she was blind. You can't really tell from in the picture but she was," Odd began, showing Yumi the picture before starting again, "I got her onto the force because of her sharp, distinct hearing. She was able to follow and complete ever command although it took her a bit longer than the rest of the K-9 unit dogs. But she did it just as well as any other police dog out there would have.

"She helped find some of the best, most difficult drug busts, illegal parties and druggies, pulled every thing in order when the other dogs and their owners got out of line, tracked down runaways and abductees, and overall made a great friend and companion," Odd seemed to stop and swallow before continuing on, "But then on her third year of being alive we got called about another abduction. A little girl and her brother were taken after school that afternoon. So me and Calais got their scent from other clothing of theirs and took off.

"Calais picked up the children's scent almost instantly and she brought us up to an old shipment building that had been abandoned ten years ago. She started going up the lumber side and soon found an open window we could get through to search inside. Obviously the person had taken the kids through the window on purpose to try and trick us because as soon as I got in, a net fell right over me. It wasn't very durable so I got out easily with my switch blade pocket knife. When I got back up, I had my gun and flashlight out, searching in the dark.

"We searched that building for half an hour before we found the part of the lot they were at. I was right about them taking the kids through the window to bring us to a trap, because we came to another window and found another small building a hundred yards away. The lights were on so we crawled through another window that we were at and snuck up to the small house-like building and found the two kids blind-folded and tied up. I burst through the door and Calais quickly smelled the kids to make sure they were OK and then went to attack the man. While I was rescuing the kids, the man was setting a detonator. I got out and then called to Calais but she couldn't hear me or didn't pay attention to me at the time because she was too busy trying to get the kidnapper to surrender.

"The building exploded and I covered the kids to protect them from flying debris. When I turned around, all I found of Calais was her studded collar hanging off a piece of metal.

"I returned the kids back home to their parents but they couldn't thank Calais for tracking them down. The next day I had set up a small cross in the back yard with her collar. After that I vowed to become and regular officer and quit the K-9 unit. I couldn't handle getting another dog and losing that one the same way I lost Calais," Odd finished, looking at him and Calais in the picture again.

Yumi was speechless. She knew Odd had had feelings but he was really hurting at this point. Calais would have died sometime recently or Odd would have moved on by now. No wonder he was so involved with Cadence and no wonder he said it got lonely. When Cadence was away, Calais had been there to keep him company. He didn't want to lose Cadence because he didn't like being alone. Now he was going to be alone again because Cadence left Odd because of Yumi. Yumi was lost in thought until she felt Odd get up off the bed. Yumi looked up at him as he walked to put the picture back in its original place. He then started to speak.

"We should finish getting you packed. Your taxi will be here at about 4:30," he said before getting back to packing her things.

Yumi only nodded and got up, walking into the bathroom to gather her personal items and place them in a plastic shopping bag. Odd had folded and packed her clothes neatly and then went to go get her other laundry that had just been cleaned and packed those neatly in the bag as well.

All that time he kept thinking about Calais, Cadence and Yumi. Odd missed Cadence but he knew the only reason why he missed her so much and wanted to be with her is because Calais had died. If Calais was still around Odd would have left Cadence a long time ago. When he thought of Yumi he thought of Ulrich, the bastard who did this to her and caused her so much pain. He wanted Yumi to stay because since he moved here he always had someone or something there with him to keep him company but Yumi was in trouble and Ulrich was looking for her. The first place Ulrich might ever look is here and Odd was surprised he hadn't yet. But then again Odd moved after Yumi and Ulrich had been married for a year.

So Ulrich had no idea of where Odd was. But what kept him from hiding Yumi here?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the horn of the taxi honk outside. He called to Yumi and grabbed the blue duffel bag containing all of her things and slung the bag over his shoulder, heading out of his room and down the stairs. Yumi followed solemnly behind him to the front door and out onto the front lawn where he had first found her a week ago.

Odd dropped the bag on the sidewalk for the cab driver and turned to Yumi.

"Well I guess this is goodbye," Yumi said, starting to tear up.

"This isn't goodbye. It's just a see-you-soon. I'll see you around here and there," Odd corrected her, not wanting to see her cry.

"And what if I don't?" she tested.

"Then know that you're a new girl. You'll have all the time you need to get back on your feet, meet more potential husbands, and raise a wonderful family," Odd said, although what he said pierced his heart with a strong blow.

Yumi nodded and sniffled a bit, "I hope you take care of yourself, Odd."

"Don't worry. I will," he hugged her; "I'll talk to you some other time. You better get going."

She hugged him back, thanked him, and turned towards the cab. Odd headed back to the house and closed the front door behind him, heading to the living room and sitting on the couch. His thoughts carried him back through the week up to now.

When he saw her, looked at her, he felt his heart fill up but that feeling dissolved because of what Ulrich had done to her. He thought that feeling was forever gone but obviously it wasn't. He thought of why he broke up with Cadence and it wasn't only because he couldn't stand to throw Yumi out on the streets but because he still had feelings for Yumi. The day at the theatre was even the strangest place when he couldn't stop looking away from her. She had looked so beautiful there and even before that day she looked beautiful and even innocent.

Immediately Odd got to his feet and ran to the front door, looking out the plaited glass. He opened the door and ran to and down the stairs right when the cab was about ready to pull away. He raced to the cab and waved to Yumi who saw him, told the driver to stop and she got out to meet him. She waited for him to start talking as she sat in the warm sun by the back door of the cab.

"Yumi, you can't go," Odd said first, finally reaching Yumi.

"What?" Yumi asked a bit confused. "You were the one who wanted me to go to this home."

"I know but during the events of this past week I grew used to you again. Calais was my company and kept me feeling at home. Yes, I admit I was also dating Cadence but I only got so involved and clingy to her because I needed someone to be there. Then you showed up and that all changed with Cadence. I love her, yes, but not like how I love you," Odd explained to her as fast as he could.

Yumi was stunned and could hardly speak at the sudden outburst of truth that Odd was throwing at her all at once.

"But I thought you didn't love me anymore and that you were afraid of losing me again like before," she asked, unsure of what he was getting at.

"Yes, I did say that, but I realized that this is my chance to get the girl that I've always wanted and always been searching for and if I let this chance go now then I will have made my worst dream come true," Odd said, walking to her and taking Yumi's face in his hands. "You're the girl I've always wanted and this is my one and only chance to get you to be mine. If I let you go now then I would lose it and I'm not going to let that happen."

Yumi was shocked but looked up into his deep, sparkling blue eyes and for once she wasn't afraid to look up at someone of higher authority. His face kept its same, soft expression and at once she knew that Odd really and truly wanted her to stay here with him. Her eyes were moist and she almost regretted asking him her next question but his answer surprised her.

"But what if Ulrich finds me here with you and tries to kill me?" Yumi asked, diverting her eyes for a second before bringing them to lie back on his eyes.

Odd laid his forehead down on hers so he could look more closely and deeply into her dark, hazel eyes and replied, "I would kill him before he even tried."

Yumi smiled and heard the cab driver honk the horn impatiently, then get out of the cab.

"Are you coming or not?" the driver asked impatiently.

"No she's not. I'll pay you for the trouble but this girl is staying here with me," Odd answered him, handing the driver a twenty dollar bill before retrieving the blue duffel bag containing all of Yumi's things from the backseat of the cab.

The taxi drove off down the street and Yumi and Odd walked up to the house. Their house.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

* * *

A few months went by since Yumi had run away from Ulrich and came to Odd. Around that time it had been spring and now it was summer and almost every minute a little kid on a bike or a group of teenagers would walk by the house and down the street to the local swimming pool or the park. The park across the street was filled with younger children while their parents lined the benches and picnic tables, chatting and enjoying just the parent time while their children tired themselves out on the slides, swinging on the swing set, or climbed to their heart's content on the jungle gym.

Odd had been happy and cheerful since when he had found Yumi out in his front lawn and she was also turning around herself. She was going back to her old self from when she was in school except she was now older. She was still extremely shy and fearful yet but she was able to walk up and meet Odd's friends when they came to visit or walk up to them and say hi when her and Odd were out in the town.

Yumi normally stayed at home but she wanted to go out into the work force but the thought of Ulrich finding her still haunted her now. She was used to going to town, yes, but only when Odd was with her. If he wasn't, she wouldn't go more than to the end of the driveway before turning around and running back to the safety and homeliness the house provided her.

Although she hadn't seen Ulrich or one of his friends since she ran away, it was still a possibility of one of them finding her and bringing her back to that hellhole.

Within those few months Cadence had called and stopped by a few times to see Odd. She was surprised and angry that Yumi was still there after Odd had told her that Yumi would be gone in a week since she last saw Odd. Both Odd and Yumi got the thought that Cadence was waiting to make sure Yumi was forever gone before coming back to beg for Odd to come back to her.

It didn't work because she found out Odd and Yumi were dating but it didn't stop her from trying anyways. Several times Yumi overheard them talking and Cadence always tried to convince Odd to come back to her. When Odd told her no and to quit asking, Yumi smiled and walked back into the room to sit down next to Odd and hold his hand. Cadence, by that time, had gotten up to leave, leaving Odd and Yumi to laugh and joke about her failed efforts later.

Odd was completely comfortable living with Yumi but she was still a little skeptical about it yet. She still had troubles sleeping in the same bed with him so she always made him go to sleep first and when she was sure that he was asleep, she would crawl under the comfort of the blankets and fall asleep next to him. For the first week or so after her and Odd started going out, she slept on the couch in the living room and didn't care if Odd testified against it or not. When she was finally comfortable about sleeping with him, she slept in Odd's bed next to him.

Although she trusted Odd with all her heart, she was still testy that he might in some way turn out like Ulrich had after a while.

Odd knew Yumi was worried about that so he didn't think of it strangely and let her work up to being more comfortable with him. He wanted to sit her down, hold her tightly to him, and rock her while telling her that he's not like Ulrich and never will be but he didn't want to drive Yumi away so he didn't and tried not to think about it. Instead he sat back and let his wants devour him while she slowly killed the beasts one by one with each new improvement towards him.

Odd had taken her out to dinner several times and all of them ended the same way; "Thank you for dinner again. Good night, Odd.' Sometimes he even heard her say 'no' and just go to bed.

He wasn't rushing her and he wanted for her to be more comfortable with him as much as possible. So he let her have her way most of the time on certain issues but on small things that weren't really important, he fought for them. He had to have some authority in his own house even if it was just over what to have for supper or what movie they were going to watch for the night.

By the end of three months, Cadence stopped calling and stopped coming over so it was just Odd and Yumi every day and every night doing the same old routine except when they decided to go out and have a night for them selves.

One night Odd came home with a new midnight blue, velvet dress. It was knee length and had a one shoulder strap to show off a lot of the back of whoever wore it. The trims on the end had sparkled material the same color as the dress. Odd knew what size she wore because he had gone shopping with her a lot of times these past few months.

Yumi glided down the stairs when she heard Odd come in the door. She stopped at the bottom of the staircase and stared at him, then the dress, and then back at him again.

"I bought you a new dress. I kind of hoped we could go out tonight if you were up to it," Odd explained when she didn't say anything.

"You know you don't have to buy me a new dress. I have five more upstairs that I could have chosen from," Yumi said, pointing behind her and up the stairs with her thumb.

"I know but when I saw the dress in the display window I thought you would look good in it," Odd said, holding it out. "Take a look at, try it on and let me know what you think of it."

Yumi took it and turned to go to the bathroom right behind the spiral staircase. She closed the door behind her when she entered the bathroom and her hands fumbled in the darkness looking for the light switch. When her hands found the switch, she flicked it on, looked towards the door and saw Odd's shadow behind it and knew that he was waiting for her to come back out.

Inside the bathroom, Yumi had hung the dress on the door and was looking at it while she was stripping off her jeans and T-shirt. She noticed the design and knew that Odd had spent a lot of money on it. When she was only in her underwear and bra, she fully examined the dress and its design.

It was all-around beautiful with no flaw to the naked eye.

Yumi unhooked her bra and took the dress off the hanger and unzipped the back. She slid one leg into the velvet and loved the feel of it against her skin. She then slid her other leg in and pulled it up her body. Once the strap was over her shoulder, she zipped it back up and felt how nicely it hugged her body.

She walked over to the mirror above the sink that was directly behind her and examined her self.

Yumi noticed how much the curves of her body showed and she loved it.

For once in the past few years, Yumi felt beautiful and unique. Living with Ulrich she had worn nothing but her old black tank top and underwear. She also had a bra but she seldom wore it because of the rips and tears. When she had to wash her few clothes, she wore it to feel somewhat decent around the house. Other times she used one of Ulrich's clean shirts if she had to wash her bra as well.

Ulrich had never bought or given her something nice to wear and if it _was_ nice, it was stolen from someone he had killed which in that case, it would be stained with blood and would never come out. So she learned to deal with what she had and didn't complain about it or it would have turned out bad for her.

For a sudden moment, Yumi fell into a depressive mood. She turned away from the mirror and walked to the tub and sat down on the snow white ledge. Her head collapsed and fell into her hands, her elbows resting on her bony knees. Thinking of the life that she ran away from made her think that she wasn't worthy or destined to wear clothes like this. Ulrich had told her that she was a worthless piece of shit and that the clothes she had were the best she would ever get. He had told her that she would never be loved enough to gain the kind of living that Odd is providing her with now and to be lucky that Ulrich is even nice enough to love her despite that she's never going to amount to nothing but to stay at home and provide him with relief from his sick and twisted desires.

"You're the worthless piece of shit, Ulrich," Yumi said to herself. "You're the one who put me through hell every single fucking day since our marriage. You cut me down and told me I'm not worth it. Thanks to you I can't even trust another ring on my finger. Not since after you betrayed it. Well now I'm going to prove you wrong and show you that I _am _worth something and that someone _does _love me unlike what you claimed for three long, painful years."

Yumi stood up, defiant and invulnerable. She walked to the door and before she opened it to face Odd, she looked at the new, unafraid Yumi in the mirror. Although deep down inside her she was still a little scared, she didn't want to let it show and decided not to let it bubble up over the top of her newfound self so she could go out and have a wonderful evening.

She took a deep breath and opened the door, immediately searching for Odd.

He was sitting on the bottom of the staircase so she walked over to him and waited for him to turn and look at her. Once he turned and saw her, he smiled and tried not to gape at her.

"So, how do you like it?" Yumi bravely asked him.

Odd walked up to her and placed one hand delicately on her cheek, his other hand holding one of her hands that was dangling at her side while her free hand reached for the hand he had placed on her cheek.

He looked into her eyes and said with honesty, "Like the stars in the sky."

Yumi smiled and stared back into his blue eyes.

Odd began to lean down towards her lips, wanting to kiss her and Yumi began to lean up in return to accept his kiss but than he stopped and pulled away all too suddenly.

"I almost forgot. I also found matching shoes to go with the dress," he said, running to the rest of the bags by the front door.

Yumi let her head drop down in disappointment when he was rushing to the bags by the front door. She was ready and expecting their first kiss but now it seemed that Odd was the one who was chickening out. With how Odd was acting it wasn't helping her become more open and unafraid. It he kept doing this then she was sure to do the same thing only her condition would be worse off than his.

"_OK Yumi. You don't want to go back with all the fear you've overcome in these few short months. If you want to progress forward you need to make some of the first moves or you'll be right back where you started from_," Yumi thought to herself as Odd came back with a white cardboard box with different black line and bar designs crossing the front, sides, and bottom.

Odd lifted the lid of the box to reveal a pair of midnight blue high heeled sandals with a clear strap with sparkles inside the thick elastic that held the toes in place. The only thing that didn't match but at the same time did match as well was the charcoal black heel which was about one to one and a half inches thick and about two inches long. If you compared the sandals to the dress, it blended in just as well as if the dress Yumi was wearing draped down to her toes.

"Odd. They're…they're…beautiful," Yumi gasped as he gently lifted them out of the box for her to get a better look at them.

"All the best for a beautiful girl," Odd replied with a smile, swooping down to pick her up in his arms with her knees bent over one of his arms and her back resting on his other arm; the same way as the night Odd found her and carried her inside his house.

Yumi giggled and wrapped her arms around Odd's neck and laid her head on his shoulder. Odd set her down in a sitting position on the second step of the carpeted staircase, lifting one of her legs up so he could place one of the sandals on her feet and then doing the same for the other.

He did this was such delicacy as if her feet were made of glass or fragile porcelain.

Once the shoes were in place on Yumi's feet, Odd took her by the hands and pulled her back to her feet and into his tight, warm embrace. She laughed and hugged him back although not as tight as his but all the same she tried nonetheless. He reluctantly let her slip a ways out of his arms but just enough so that she was still in his arms but now able to look into her eyes.

"You look so beautiful. When Ulrich had you I always said to myself that he was always and would always be the one to treat you right and give you everything that you would ever need," Odd said to her, hesitating to go on with what he wanted to say next, "but after seeing what he did to you I can't forgive myself for ever thinking that. The way you came to me all battered, bruised and a complete wreck I could hardly believe that when you said Ulrich did that to you he actually did. And even if you looked like that I still thought that you looked extremely beautiful."

Yumi could hardly find the right words to say so she asked him, "How could you have?"

Odd only smiled and leaned his face closer to hers and said, "Because even with all those wounds she's still the same, beautiful girl as I remembered as a child while growing up with her."

Yumi's eyes filled with tears but because of a memory, a moment from a long time ago. She closed her eyes and thought back to the day of Odd's sister's funeral.

When Odd and his sister, Mai, were thirteen, they were separated because their parents had died in a car accident. Odd wound up going to their boarding school with his dog, Kiwi, and Mai ended up going in a foster home that turned out to be a horrible place. They worked her day and night and beat her whenever possible but when a social worker from the foster care services made monthly visits, the foster parents covered her skin with make-up and treated her well for an hour while the social workers were there.

When they weren't working her or beating her, they shoved her into their musty shed and locked it shut where she couldn't see and starved. When she tried to sneak food, she had to be quick about getting it into the shed without getting caught in the process and when she did get caught, they held her hand down and sliced her fingers open and pushed salt inside the cuts. To make sure she didn't wash it out later, they wrapped a piece of cloth tightly around her hand and knotted it so in order to remove it from her hand, they would have to cut it off.

Mai had taken a pen and a piece of paper from the house, a fully loaded pistol she had found in the barn and hid them under a loose floorboard that was buried under some moldy hay.

She had pried this loose within her first week of living with those two horrible people.

Inside the hole was a clear blue flashlight she had taken from a desk drawer inside the house, a few empty food wrappers that once held pop tarts, chips, and crackers, and the pen, paper and pistol she had taken earlier within the week.

That night when she was sure that both of her foster parents weren't around after they locked her up in the shed, she uncovered the hay and pried the floorboard open. She pulled the flashlight and the pen and paper out of the hole and leaned back against the far wall and began writing a note to Odd. The thing she liked about this night of all nights is that the social worker would be coming over the next day early in the morning and she knew her body wouldn't be shoved down a well or buried under the house without the social worker seeing them do so.

Once she had finished writing the note, she pulled out the pistol, placed the note on her chest, and turned off the flashlight and placing it back inside the hole before closing it back up again. She got onto her knees and held the note tightly to her chest as she placed the barrel inside of her mouth. The last thing she did was pull the trigger and '_bang_.'

The very next day, the social worker came early in the morning and went to knock on the front door of the wooden household. The foster parents answered the door and pretended to look for Mai until they decided to pull off a little joke behind the social worker's back and hide the fact that Mai was always locked inside the shed at night.

The foster mother talked to her husband and said he might have locked Mai in the shed by accident last night because Mai had wanted to clean the inside of it and without looking or calling for her thinking that she was already inside and in bed, put the lock back on the shed door and walked back to the house.

So the foster father unlocked the bronze padlock when they were outside and standing outside the shed and opened the door of the shed and called to Mai from the slightly opened wooden door. When Mai didn't answer, the foster father opened the door all the way and walked inside, kicking Mai's stone-hard foot on accident. He bent down, grasped her ankle, and drug Mai's dead body out into the sunlight. The social worker saw the girl in a tattered mess, the way she normally looked without all the make-up the foster mother had put on her to conceal the wounds.

The social worker found the note in Mai's stone-hard hand and struggled to free it from the decaying grasp of the dead girl. After she read the note, she turned toward the two foster parents and called into the police station. They were taken into custody by two armed policemen and Mai's body was brought to her brother, Odd.

When Odd saw Mai, everyone around him could see his heart break in two in his eyes at the sight of his dead sister.

Her face was all bruised and swollen, and on her right cheek was a large, deep, infected gash. Her mouth stood ajar so you could see her cracked, chipped, and missing teeth. Her lips were chapped and split and a little charred from the gunshot.

Odd saw her fingers and saw how each scar had been reopened repeatedly with a new fresh cut. Inside the cuts he saw pieces of salt that were stained from the color of her blood and then noticed the white of her bones. The bones were covered in dirt and dried mud but there was still a fairly good amount of white to be seen.

Her arms held welts and other various cuts and scrapes and bruises. Her feet were dirty and scraped also with hints of old and new blisters and her legs were skinnier, more fragile, and carried a lot of cuts and bruises as well.

Every part of her flesh that Odd could see was all infected and gruesome.

The rest of her body was covered in a light, white dress that was just above knee-length and was just about as dirty as she was.

Odd didn't want to see anymore of her destroyed body but he knew what was underneath the dress.

He didn't _need_ to see anymore of it.

The next thing that he was looking at was the note that Mai had written to him.

"**Odd I apologize for what I'm about to do but it's not worth it anymore. Ever since I've been stuck here in this hell hole I've been forced to work all day, I get locked up in a musty shed at night with no food and scarcely enough good drinking water. Everything I do is wrong to them and I'm not going to suffer and wait to get out in a few months or longer. I stole a pen and a piece of paper to write this to you and a pistol from their barn with my Silver Bullet. The social worker comes tomorrow so I know she'll see me before they throw my body in a floorboard under their house or shove me down a well. I'm not going to wait for death in this hell hole so death better be waiting for me. I love you, brother and again I'm so sorry.**

**Mai**"

At Mai's funeral, Odd had them play "Who You'd Be Today" and he had his own song be played by the group's own little band which he took the liberty to sing himself.

Odd hadn't sung that song in eight years and now he was saying the first part of the chorus to Yumi.

Yumi was shocked and felt a little saddened about that fact. The song was originally Mai's Song but now it somehow was being said to her.

"Yumi, I know what you're going to say," Odd said when Yumi didn't speak, "but don't worry about the song. Yes, it's my sister's song but that line reminded me of you. Please don't be offended by that."

Yumi nodded and looked up at him. Odd bent down and kissed her forehead, taking her face in his hands.

All of a sudden Yumi didn't feel like taking a chance to kiss Odd for the first time since they've been together. When he said that line, the mood changed and she knew it hurt Odd just as much as her because it brought both of them back memories of that dark and gloomy day as if it happened only yesterday.

No one wanted to remember it.

"We should be getting to our date," Odd said.

Yumi only nodded and walked with him hand-in-hand to the front door and then out into the warm evening.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

* * *

Another month went by since that night when Odd had accidentally brought back bad memories that no one wanted to remember. That night Odd and Yumi barely talked during their date and when a good conversation sparked, it only lasted for about five minutes and then they both stayed silent. There were a few times when Odd wanted to say something to Yumi but he figured it would only make her emotions erupt even more so he kept quiet and didn't speak his mind.

By the time the night ended, the tension between them had ended and they seemed to talk a bit more on the ride home than at dinner. Odd figured it was probably because Yumi didn't want to get into an argument out in public so he tried not to let it bother him too much although it did.

The night hadn't gone so well even after they got home. Yumi had just sat in the living room, told him 'goodnight', and didn't come up to the room till well past midnight.

Since then, they went on with their lives and didn't talk about it so they could get along and avoid any arguments about it.

Odd knew he fucked up and knew it wouldn't leave his conscience but he tried to ignore the feeling nonetheless.

Within the month, Odd had received calls about Ulrich looking for Yumi. He had talked to his friends and partner in the force and they all agreed to not tell Ulrich where Yumi was. A few had questioned why and he had explained how he knew Ulrich since middle school and how Yumi had come to him in the middle of the night with all kinds of scars, bruises, and gashes. All of them had been horrified at the realistic details Odd had shared with them.

They looked like Odd the night he had found Yumi on his front lawn.

After that gruesome picture in their minds, they promised to keep Yumi a secret. Although some of them had offered to take him into custody, Odd said no because they knew just as much as he did that no court would accept a trial like that with no former evidence and even if they did accept it right now, her wounds were all healed and there was no picture evidence of the horror done to Yumi.

No one would believe them now so they just stuck with hiding Yumi.

Ulrich had called into the police station but not once did he call Odd's house number.

One day Odd had called Yumi at home and told her to have a dress ready for tonight because he was working late and didn't have time to get ready before all the good places to eat had closed.

Yumi said OK and as soon as she got off the phone with him, she rushed upstairs and into the bedroom. She then made her way over to the big walk-in closet.

It was now organized so all of her clothes were hanging on the left side and all of Odd's clothes were hanging on the right side.

She walked to the far end of the closet where all of her dresses were hanging and began looking through them.

One by one she sorted through the different colors and textures of the fabrics, linens, and silks. She saw the recent midnight blue dress that she wore once to their last date and decided not to wear it. Instead, she focused her attention on the ones she hadn't worn yet.

She had found three dresses that she never wore yet and laid them out across the bed, examining each one carefully as if she was an art inspector looking for new pieces to her collection.

One was a red cotton dress that draped down to her ankles and had a two-shoulder strap. A red ribbon was in the middle of the hem at the top that was right above her cleavage. It wasn't very elegant but it was pretty all the same.

The second was a light purple cotton dress with little flower designs on it that was knee-length like her midnight blue one and had two shoulder straps. It had a light purple, silk band that was sewn to the front of it where he belly would be and tied behind her back in a bow.

The third one was a white silk dress that had no shoulder straps. Instead, it held in place on her breasts and went down. At about the middle of her right thigh it stopped and angled down to past her feet and dragged behind her for a little ways. There was also a white silk band but instead it was sewn to the left side, tied into a bow on her right side and draped down to her bare leg. This dress the most expensive one out of all the dresses she owned and Yumi wondered why she hadn't worn it yet.

So Yumi chose to wear the white one and put the other two back in their original places in the back of the closet.

She kept the dress on the bed and left the room to go and find the pair of shoes that Odd had bought to go along with the dress.

They were a pair of white sandals with peach-colored blotches on the tops of them where her feet would lie upon. The straps were a creamy color and had ripples carved into the tops of the rubber. The bottoms were a plain, flat surface that was also a creamy color.

Yumi searched the entire downstairs closet by the front door where they kept all of their shoes so they wouldn't get lost inside the house somewhere but it seemed to her that shoes were lost more inside this closet than they would have been lost in the entire house.

Some of the shoes in the closet still had price tags on them and were still sitting in their boxes so she was careful as to not ruin them or get them dirty while moving the other shoes around.

Finally she had found them and saw that they, too, were still brand new because of the floral price tag hanging off one of the rubber straps and the pink and white box that encased them.

Yumi brought them to the kitchen and found a pair of scissors with a black plastic handle and cut the price tag off before throwing it into the garbage and bringing the shoes upstairs to her awaiting dress. She laid them out on the bed next to the dress and merrily skipped into the bathroom and up to the big mirror.

Her hair was longer now, at least four inches past her shoulder. All of her bodily wounds were healed and either gone or still there but now marked by a thin, pale scar. Sometimes they were in blotches, but most of the time they appeared in the forms of scars.

Her face was more colorful and lifelike with a new, natural flush and her eyes were now a brighter color of hazel then ever before. Her body was no longer frail and skinny, but plumper and more filled but she wasn't fat yet although Odd made it seem like he was going to accidentally make her that way.

Yumi loved to look at herself in the mirror because she loved to gaze lovingly at the old Yumi; the Yumi that Odd knew before that faithful night that happened four months ago, the Yumi that Ulrich probably doesn't even remember existed, and the Yumi that she, herself, remembered before the treacherous few years. Come to think of it, Jeremy and Aelita never knew about the change in Ulrich and his behavior. It was probably better that they didn't know because she didn't want their lives in danger for knowing where she was.

She was already putting Odd's life at risk by remaining here but he said he wanted her here. No matter what happens.

So Yumi just followed along with it and tried not to complain too much about nothing.

Yumi turned her back on the mirror and sat down on the counter right next to the sink. Her face remained calmed and expressionless as her eyes scanned over the picturesque bathroom, a loving gaze taking place.

The bathroom, as Yumi found strange, was her safe spot; her sanctuary. It provided her with comfort and relaxation. It was almost like a painting or a book with discreet and distinct details. Many times when Odd wasn't home she had gone to sit inside the bathroom for hours and hours, just looking at the familiar display, and discovering something new as well. Whenever she found some new details that she never saw before, she felt a warm, wondrous glow warm her up inside.

Again she felt like a child and at times felt ashamed about it but soon lost her trail of thought on that subject and was replaced with a new discovery.

The only reason that Yumi could think of as to why she took a big liking to the bathroom was that it was angelic in a way unknown and oblivious to everyone else but her. Many times when she still belonged to Ulrich, she dreamed about a room like this but it wasn't a bathroom she imagined. It was a regular room with a big vanity table with a mirror in the very back center of the room. Around the vanity were different white and gold mixtures that spelled her name in Japanese. Light gold curtains stood parted at all the windows and pictures in white gold frames lined all the walls. The lighting would be just regular lighting but it would illuminate everything and make it come alive, dancing around the room with her.

Odd had walked in on her once but Yumi was unaware of it. He watched her eyes gaze longingly around the bathroom at every nook and cranny of the place as if chasing around an invisible friend. He would have left her be but he was curious about her fondness to his bathroom.

When he closed the door, he left the bedroom and waited for Yumi to come out so he could go in and see what she found in his bathroom so interesting.

While standing inside the bathroom, he looked around for something, anything, that made Yumi gaze longingly without a care for anything else but inside this one place, but Odd couldn't see anything so out of the ordinary. It was just an ordinary bathroom to his eyes but he knew that Yumi saw more. There had to be or he wouldn't have found her that one time.

Unless she had been fascinated by the color and was always mesmerized by that.

Odd figured it was the best guess he was ever going to come down to. So, happy and satisfied, he left the bathroom and began to plan.

When Odd wasn't around Yumi, or when she was sleeping, he began to design a room inside the house in a way that Yumi might like.

He visited three different places that did carpet, walls, and wallpaper, four different furniture stores searching for a wooden desk that Yumi could sit and draw at, two places sold him thirty wooden frames of all sizes, and finally he found the curtains and art supplies that she could use. Along with these items he bought glass figurines in shapes of children, dogs, cats, ducks, and other different shapes of humans and animals.

When Odd and Yumi went out for an evening or an afternoon, he would have carpenters come in to lay down the new, light gold carpet. Other days he would have painters come in and paint the bare, white walls with a new metallic gold paint mixture that Odd chose himself.

The trickier part of all this was getting all of the furniture and shelves in without Yumi noticing any of Odd's tools laying around. But finally Odd had it all done and another part about tonight was that he was finally going to introduce her to it and give her the only key to the room.

Yumi looked down at the bathroom floor and slid off the counter gracefully. She left the bathroom light on as she entered the bedroom again and walked over to the dress she had picked out for tonight.

Before she picked it up, she ran a hand across the velvet-soft silk and felt her mouth twist into a soft smile.

Yumi had picked this dress out herself and the reason why was because it was special in her eyes. It seemed to call out to her threw the display window the day they had purchased it. Ever since then, she kept it in the very back of the closet to keep it away from anything that could be messily thrown inside the closet. She swore only to wear it on special occasions and for some reason, this felt like one of them that were to come along.

Another smile appeared on her face as she lifted the dress carefully off the bed and drifted back to the bathroom with it. Once in the bathroom, she hung it on the hook outside of the shower door and began to undress hurriedly as if she couldn't wait to put the dress on and wait for tonight to happen.

Yumi was standing in front of the dress with no bra on and only her underwear. She hesitated a bit at taking the dress off the hanger as if she might ruin its delicacy and innocence. Finally she took it down and unzipped the back, her hand shaking at the zipper. She got it down and slid her left leg in and felt the longer end of the dress drape over it, then slide her right leg in and felt the cold and dullness of the air against it from her knees down.

She pulled the dress up over her naked breasts and reached back to try and zip it up but she couldn't quite get it zipped all the way up. As she struggled with it, someone came up behind her and grabbed her hands gently, whispering in her ear quietly.

"Let me help you with that."

Yumi's tense and worried look turned into a smile as Odd's voice broke the scared feeling she just got.

She let her hands drop to her sides and let Odd zip the dress up for her. She stood there looking at herself in the mirror with Odd standing behind her with a smile fixed on his face. Yumi kept her eyes on the dress and noticed how snuggly it fit and shaped her body. She then felt Odd's arms wrap around her waist so she was brought back against him to make it seem as if they were molded together as one.

Smiles spread even wider on both of their faces as Odd turned Yumi to face him and kissed her forehead. Yumi clung to him lightly with her arms wrapped around his neck.

"We should probably get going," Odd said, letting her drift away from him.

"Yes we should," Yumi agreed, nodding once and then noticing his attire.

He was already dressed in a blue, silk, button-up shirt and a pair of fine linen, black dress pants. It was a casual outfit as well as formal like Yumi's dress was.

As they were leaving the bathroom, Yumi grabbed the sandals and quickly slipped them on her feet.

Then as they were leaving the bedroom and walking down the spiral staircase, Yumi asked Odd, "When did you change your clothes?"

"I changed after I got off of work," Odd replied as they were walking out of the front door and as they reached his black mustang, he turned to Yumi and asked, "Can I blindfold you?"

Yumi's once cheerful expression turned into a look of dismay and asked, "Why? Why can't I see where we're going?"

Odd placed is right hand on her cheek and stared into her eyes with a sincerity that Yumi hadn't seen in a long time. He brought her a little closer to him and began to trace her cheek bones up to her hair.

"I would never think of doing that to you, Yumi," Odd started, knowing that she thought he was going to hand her right back to Ulrich, and then started again, "If I was in sides with _him_, I would have handed you back to him a long time ago. You're everything I could have ever asked for and I'm not about to lose you now."

Yumi didn't say anything, but continued to let him speak.

"I just hope you'll let me blindfold you so I don't have to cancel our date. Please, Yumi," Odd began. "Do you trust me?"

Yumi swallowed and nodded as Odd pulled a red velvet blindfold out of his pocket and turned Yumi so her back was facing him. He gently pulled it over her eyes and tied it behind her head loose enough but tight enough as well so she wouldn't be able to see where he was taking her.

Odd turned Yumi to face him again as he opened the passenger side door of the Mustang and helped Yumi seat herself down in the seat. Once Odd had closed her door, he hurried over to his side and got in as well, starting the car up and pulling out of the driveway.

They drove a long time in silence and Odd thought it was for the best because he didn't want to give the surprise away to Yumi.

Eventually Odd pulled up to the biggest restaurant in town and drove up to the young looking valet. Odd got out and went over to Yumi's side of the car and helped her out before tossing his keys to the valet and walking up to the double glass doors.

Once inside, the different aromas of food and drinks drifted up to Yumi and flooded her senses with hunger and thirst.

She smelt lobster and crab dishes, finely cooked steaks, steamed and buttered vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, green beans, and cauliflower. The scent of Red Wine drifted under her nose so she knew they had passed close to a waiter or waitress carrying it. They had to be passing the kitchen because Yumi could hear the clanging of pots and pans, the scraping of silverware, the clatter of plates, and the sizzling of different foods.

That didn't last long because within a few seconds, Yumi felt the soft, gentle wind caressing her skin. She was pulled onto the grass and up a slight hill before Odd stopped her and went behind her to take off the blindfold.

Before Odd let the blindfold drop away from her eyes, Odd whispered in her ear, "Close your eyes and when the blindfold is gone, open them."

Yumi did as she was told and closed her eyes, holding back a smile. She felt the blindfold fall away from her eyes and when she opened them again, her mouth dropped and her eyes widened in amazement.

The place Yumi was looking at was completely lit up in lights. A white blanket was sprawled out underneath a rounded table with a red tablecloth and two lightly polished wooden chairs with red cushioned seats on either side. A white, wooden arch with different spirals stood in four directions as if to close her and Odd off from the rest of the world. Along with the arches were golden decoration lights that illuminated the grass underneath them. Inside the four arches stood a pianist and a violinist that were playing soft, gentle music that lifted Yumi's heart right out of her chest. There was also their own personal waiter and chef that stood by the table, waiting for them. The waiter was a middle-aged man who had short, brown hair that was starting to gray and the chef was a female, around her early thirties. She had dirty blonde hair and a heart-warming smile.

Odd took Yumi by the hand and lead her up to their table where the waiter pulled back Yumi's chair and let her sit back down. Odd and Yumi ended up facing each other so Odd could stare directly into her eyes.

The waiter gave them both a menu and once they selected, the waiter took them both back and on his way back to the restaurant, he nudged Odd and smiled at him. Once he had left, Yumi stared incredulously at him.

"What?" Odd asked her sheepishly.

"What's this all about?" Yumi asked him, knowing there was something behind all of this.

"Absolutely nothing. Why do you ask?" he said to her, trying to hide a smile.

"No one has ever done this for me and I want to know why you went through all of the trouble just for me," she explained to him.

"Well, our waiter is Stephen. He owes me from a while back now because I saved his wife's life two years ago. You know the chef? That's his wife, Alex. One of the only few girls you'll ever meet that are sweet and kind and don't try to cheat anybody out of anything."

Yumi, looking skeptical, kept gazing at him and then asked, "So what's the real reason why you brought me hear tonight, Odd?"

Odd lowered his head and looked up at her, asking, "Do you really want to know?"

Yumi nodded and smiled, waiting. All Odd did was drop his head even further and then pointed up. Yumi, confused, stared blankly at him but then looked up above her.

There was a big, white banner with red words reading 'Yumi, will you marry me?' going across it. Yumi gasped and looked back at Odd who had a manila envelope and a small, blue, velvet box sitting next to him now.

"Odd," Yumi gasped, not sure of the right words to say, "But how can I?"

"By saying yes," Odd replied.

"But I'm still marred to Ulrich by law," she said.

"I've got the divorce papers right here," he said in return.

"What about the wedding ceremony?"

"No one knows but me, you, and my friends down at the station. And, of course, Jeremy and Aelita, who are thrilled, by the way. Yes, they know about the whole Ulrich deal and thanks to Aelita working in a court house, she got me the papers with no problem. There's only one condition."

"And what would that be?"

"Aelita's dying to be your maid of honor."

Yumi smiled and lowered her head. She then looked up and took in all of what she saw that surrounded her. Her attention focused once more on Odd and she hesitated but she already knew what her answer would be.

"Yes, Odd," Yumi started, "Yes I will marry you."

Odd smiled and started to open the small box he had next to him but Yumi stopped him before he opened it.

"Before you make this engagement final," she started, never taking her eyes off Odd. "You cannot, I repeat, cannot, let Ulrich get me to bring the divorce papers to him."

Odd shook his head and replied, "I'm not going to be that stupid enough to do that. The court will mail it all out to him after you sign all of the papers. After that, the judge will give Ulrich thirty days in which to sign and return the papers. If he doesn't do so, they'll arrest him and take him into custody."

Yumi smiled and said, "How did you do that? Normally divorce cases go into a courtroom in front of an official judge."

"Let's just say that the judge is a really good from of mine and he would do anything for me if I asked. He believes my story about you and he told me to get you to sign the papers and it's done."

Her smile got even bigger as she held out her hand. Odd opened the box and there was the ring.

It was a thin, gold band with a one caret diamond in the very center of it.

Odd placed the ring on Yumi's finger, holding her hand for a few seconds and then kissed the top of her hand before letting it slowly drop to the table.

Just as her hand was back on the table, the waiter was coming back with their food. He placed the plates in front of them and then moved away to let them eat.

Odd and Yumi ate, talked, and laughed while they listened to the blissfulness of the swaying music.

Later that night, they returned home. Yumi turned to face Odd but before she could tell him goodnight, Odd placed a finger on her lips.

"Before you say anything, I want to show you one more thing," Odd said, taking her by the hand and leading her up the spiral staircase.

Odd look a left and went down all the way to the end of hall and stood in front of an oak door. Yumi looked at him as he pulled a key out of his pocket and placed it in the keyhole. He turned it to the left and twisted the bronze doorknob, looking at Yumi. Once he pushed the door open, Yumi almost fell back with astonishment and awe.

Behind the door was the room almost exactly how Yumi had pictured her dream room. The carpet, the curtains, the pictures, and the paint were all like she had imagined. The only thing missing was the big vanity. Instead, there was a wooden desk with drawing paper, sketch books, pencils, charcoal, watercolor paint, paint brushes, and canvases.

"Oh, Odd," Yumi exclaimed. "How did you know? How did you do all of this?"

"I just hired professionals to come in when we're on dates and set everything up. And I did this because I saw you gazing lovingly around in the bathroom so I thought you loved the warmth of gold and gave you your own little place here," Odd replied.

"Odd," she said. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," he replied.

Yumi turned to him and looked up at his expression. It was different somehow and she didn't know what it was.

Before she could do or say anything else, their lips met for the very first time ever. Yumi kissed him back instantaneously and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her. Her lips seemed to move with his simultaneously. For some reason, she needed him and longed for him. This was the feeling she was waiting so long for; to be wanted back. Odd was the only one who had done this for her and now she was sure that she should have picked Odd from the very beginning.

Odd ran his tongue across her lips, seeming to ask for her permission to enter her mouth so she opened her mouth in response and moved her tongue along side his in harmony. He grabbed her by her waist and lifted her in the air, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist. His hands grabbed her ass to keep her up as he began to carry her to the bedroom.

Yumi was already unbuttoning his shirt as he was opening the bedroom door. He walked her over to the bed and laid her on her back as he pulled off his shirt and pulled off his pants. Yumi was unzipping her dress, wriggling out of it until Odd pulled it off the rest of the way.

Odd was now only in a pair of white boxers and Yumi was now only in her pink underwear. He climbed on top of Yumi and began kissing her neck, nibbling her collar bone gently. She opened her mouth and let out a soft moan as one of his hands grasped one of her breasts, squeezing it gently and massaging it. His hand then moved down to her underwear, his finger tracing the hem of it slightly.

Yumi placed her hands on his boxers and pulled them down, feeling a shudder go up her spine as Odd pulled her underwear off and slide two of his fingers inside of her. She moaned softly while feeling his hard dick in her hand. He pulled his two fingers out of her and moved up closer to her face, kissing her while thrusting gently inside of her. She moaned through the kiss as he started to thrust back and forth into her gently and slowly.

A shiver shook Yumi's whole body as she felt Odd become a part of her and she knew this is what she always wanted. Odd took her hands and raised them above her head, her legs wrapping around his waist. He began to thrust harder and faster, his breathing turning just as heavy as Yumi's was. She was moaning softly, Odd still thrusting in and out of her.

Odd pulled out of her and laid down on his back, pulling Yumi on top of him. Yumi lowered herself on top of his dick, moving back and forth slowly, Odd's hands grasped her waist gently to hold her steady. He was groaning softly, his hot breath reaching Yumi's chest. Her head was held up in the air, her eyes closed as she moaned in pleasure and happiness.

Odd stopped her and flipped her on her back again, climbing on top of her and pushing himself inside of her once again. Her legs went back around his waist and her arms wrapped around his neck. She began to kiss his neck, running her hands along his shoulder blades and felt his muscles tense up with every thrust. Her heart raced at the exhilaration, his lips meeting hers again as he gave one last thrust as he came inside of her.

Yumi gave one last moan, feeling his warm semen enter her, giving her a warm sensation.

Odd stayed on top of her for a few minutes before pulling out of her and laying down beside her. Both of them laid down side by side, Yumi in Odd's arms. Their breathing returned back to normal as Odd leaned over to Yumi's ear.

"I love you, Yumi," Odd said to her. "So much."

"I love you, too, Odd," Yumi said back to him, closing her eyes.

Odd closed his eyes as well ad wrapped his arms around Yumi, both falling asleep under the blankets, their clothes strewn across the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

* * *

Yumi awoke the next morning to the sun peeking in over the headboard and the birds singing outside of the window. She sat up in bed and looked around the room, seeing her dress lying on the floor next to Odd's clothes. When she looked down at herself, she remembered last night and the sweet bliss of the ending. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes, reminiscing the few hours before they went to bed and then opened them, looking at Odd who was still sleeping soundly.

Yumi lay back down and curled close to Odd, kissing his neck and nibbling his earlobe a bit. Her arms found their way around his body as she buried her face in his back and closed he eyes again, smiling. When she lifted her head away from his back, Odd moved and turned to face her. As soon as he saw her happy expression, he smiled, too, and kissed her. She kissed him and held it for as long as she could.

"Good morning, beautiful," Odd said, his voice raspy with the morning.

"Hey, you," Yumi replied with a grin.

Yumi ran her fingers through her hair, trying to untangle the knots that had formed while she had slept. As she was doing so, Odd grabbed her wrist and pulled her on top of him, smiling and staring at her. She smiled back and kissed him gently.

"There's no need to do that. You're beautiful no matter how you look," Odd told her as soon as the kiss was over.

"It's just a habit," Yumi replied, laughing a bit.

Odd wrapped his arms around her and held her to him, closing his eyes. Yumi laid her head on his chest and listened to his slow heartbeat. A smile tugged on her mouth, feeling Odd's hot breath reach the top of her head.

Her instincts were right, she _was_ in love with Odd and she regretted ever turning Odd down in high school. The only reason she had was because he was immature and didn't know when to stop talking. Ever since she graduated, she felt a sudden sadness rise in her chest as she left the school and Odd and went on with her life. She didn't feel that same way about Ulrich but she thought it only because she knew she would always see Ulrich but no longer Odd.

Obviously Yumi's feelings were wrong because ever since she had come here, that sadness left and she felt nothing for leaving Ulrich. She was so sure that she and Odd were meant to be and that her and Ulrich never were.

Yumi felt like a puppy that was placed in the hands of the wrong owner and ran away in search of the one she was meant to have. And she finally found the one only months ago although it felt like a lifetime ago when she first realized her true feelings. As of now she was happy she stepped up and let what happened last night happen. She was finally letting her old self come out again and now she wasn't so fearful about what would, or could, happen.

After the court sends those papers out and Ulrich signs them, Yumi and Odd were free to get married and live together the rest of their lives without worry of Ulrich barging into it. They would be able to live in harmony within a month if Ulrich follows through with no troubles or delays.

Odd stirred and Yumi looked at him, him looking at her. She could tell that his eyes were asking her something but his heart was afraid of the answer. Yumi couldn't place the question, so she stared back at him until he was ready to speak it. She waited there for a long moment, staring at him with stray answers running around in her mind until he finally spoke.

"Do you think we moved too soon into an engagement?" Odd asked her with regret sounding clearly in each word he spoke.

Yumi shook her head and moved up so his and her faces were about an inch apart. A smile played across her face as she traced his hair with a finger while staring into his endless eyes.

"No," Yumi replied quickly, placing her finger to his lips before he could start speaking. "You think it's so soon because you and Cadence waited a year before finally becoming engaged. When you look at the positive side, we've known each other longer than you and her and we get along better than you and her."

Yumi stopped and looked into his eyes, seeing his question turn into pure remorse before she said something else.

"I ran from Ulrich to find you. As soon as I was on my way to you, I felt the heartache that suppressed me lift away bit by bit the closer I got to you. When you almost made me go to that home, I nearly died. I didn't know how to explain the feeling at first until I realized that it was you that I couldn't stand being without. For four years after I graduated and left you and Aelita to go and start the rest of my life, I felt a heavy pain fall upon me as I drove away and left you. At first I thought it was because I was leaving all of my friends and that I would get over it but I didn't. It didn't leave until I saw you again," Yumi finished, removing her finger from Odd's lips.

"Wow," Odd managed, tripping over every wrong word he could possibly say. "That was…I never…wow."

Yumi laughed and kissed his cheek, trying to mold herself to be a part of him like last night. Odd's hands wove around her, his fingers tracing along her back in abstract motions. He kissed her forehead, then the top of her head, to her cheek, then her nose, and finally, her lips. Yumi kissed him back and held it for as long as she could before they both needed air.

When Odd pulled away from the kiss, he stared at Yumi and felt his heart beat faster. She had changed so much in the past few months that it was hard to believe that _this _was the old Yumi. This was the way he had pictured it if Yumi never chose Ulrich.

"I think we should get up and get ready for the day. You have to be at work soon," Yumi said, placing a finger back to his lips again.

"Luckily I get off early tonight. So I can come home and please you some more," Odd said back, laughing a bit while tickling her and kissing her again. "So I'll be seeing you at two this afternoon."

Yumi smiled and kissed him again, then getting up off of him to allow him to get up as well. Once up, Odd hugged her and went to his dresser to get a pair of pants, and then the closet to get the rest of his uniform. Yumi smiled as he went into the bathroom and she left the bedroom to go down to the kitchen and start making something to eat.

She first went to the refrigerator and looked around on the shelves and other compartments. Her eyes fell on the dozen or so eggs on the bottom shelf and so she grabbed that and the gallon of orange juice. She took a frying pan and placed it on the electric stove, turning it on and taking a slice of butter from the pale container to her right. She scraped the butter off the butter knife and used a spatula to spread it on the bottom of the pan.

Yumi set to work making breakfast while scenes from last night played over and over in her mind. She could remember it all in distinct detail, enough so she could tell someone, if only she had someone to tell other than Odd. If he wasn't there it would be a completely different story. Smiles played across her face every time she caught glimpses of the ring that was on her finger, the sunlight catching the diamond and sending glares across the walls and counters.

Odd must have had the ring polished to perfection before picking it up because any other ring would have been duller or less extravagant, but this little extra thing made it all the more precious.

Yumi hoped she would never have to take it off unless she knew she had to.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Odd came up behind her and dipped her backwards, kissing her lightly as his wet hair tickled her face, making her smile ceaselessly. He smiled back and let her back up before taking a seat at the table and waiting for her. When she sat down with only his food, Odd looked at her questioningly.

"I'll be eating after you leave. I just want to make sure that you're ready for work," Yumi explained as soon as she picked out the question roaming in his eyes like a hungry lion waiting for his dinner to come lurking in the fields.

"I hope so. I don't want you to become anorexic on me," Odd said jokingly.

Yumi nodded and took of piece of the bread Odd had grabbed to wipe up any egg yolk that strayed away from the rest of the egg. She ate it quietly and tried not to smile but it didn't work.

They were eating in peace when they heard an angry pounding at the front door. Curious, yet cautious, Odd took out a gun from the holder at his waist and got up with Yumi who was following directly behind him. By the time they got to the front door, they had already identified Ulrich's bulking form behind the glass. Behind him were two more people that they couldn't make out.

Ulrich got the door open and walked in, looking at Odd before spotting Yumi who was trying to shrink down behind Odd in hopes of becoming invisible.

"So you _are _here you rotten bitch," Ulrich growled, his anger clearly visible.

"How the hell did you find us here and why are you here?" Odd asked fiercely in return, holding his gun up to Ulrich.

"I'm here to get what's mine," Ulrich replied simply.

"Now answer my other question. How in the hell did you find us?" Odd asked again.

"I had a little help from a friend of yours," Ulrich replied in return.

Ulrich snapped his fingers and the guy behind him came in. He over-towered Ulrich by a fee feet and had shoulder length blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and fair skin. His facial features resembled those of a bear but the rest of his body was extremely skinny except for his arms and legs which were built bigger. Overall he resembled a deformed animal and looked like he could cause some damage.

"Freak," Yumi piped behind Odd.

"What?" Odd asked her, never taking his eyes off of the giant.

"They call him Freak. He's one of Ulrich's friends who came over every week to terrorize me when Ulrich wasn't home," she replied, closing her eyes and burying her face in Odd's shirt.

Odd glared at Freak with such hostility that it only made the giant smile with amusement. While Odd was glaring at the two, Freak pulled someone into view and it took Odd a while to figure out who it was.

"Terry," Odd gasped at the sight of his battered friend.

Terry was almost as tall as Freak with light brown hair that was caked in blood. His uniform was tattered and covered in dust and blood, one eye was swollen shut, the left side of his mouth was swollen as well, and his lips were cut. The only thing that looked remotely uninjured was one big, almond brown eye but even that was bloodshot.

"I'm sorry Odd. I tried to keep it in but the pain was too unbearable. Please forgive me," Terry stuttered, hoping that the giant holding him would let him go.

"It's OK Terry," Odd said in return, looking Terry over from a distance.

Any man who could hold up so much beating before cracking was an honorable cop and deserved as much respect as anyone, even if they were a rookie that was just beginning.

"OK cut the sissy bullshit already. I don't need to sit in the middle of apologies, alright? We all knew that you couldn't hide Yumi forever so just hand her over and we'll leave you alive," Ulrich cut in, pushing Terry out of Freak's grip and sending him flying to the floor.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to hand her back over to you? The one she ran away from? She told me everything you did to her and now you expect me to just give the women I love away?" Odd questioned, sounding more confident then he felt.

"If you know what's good for you then you will," Ulrich stated clearly and simply.

"Well you're not getting her. Not now, not ever. I love her more than you ever did," Odd shot back.

"Who could ever love that bitch? She's a worthless piece of shit and she'll never make you happy, so just hand her over," Ulrich said sternly.

"She _does _make me happy and I'm not giving her back over to you so would you and your freak show of a friend leave my property now?" Odd said.

Ulrich nodded and looked at Freak.

"We gave him fair enough warning. Let's go," Ulrich said, turning to leave, Freak directly behind him.

Once they were gone, Odd lowered his weapon and looked over at Terry who was still on the ground.

"Are you OK?" Odd asked, looking him over.

"Yeah," Terry replied, wincing at the pain of trying to get up. "Yeah I think I'll be fine after a few weeks."

"Come and sit for a while," Odd offered.

"No. I'll be fine. I got to get back to my wife before she worries about me," Terry replied, turning to the front door after standing up.

"Alright but take care. Look out for that son of a bitch," Odd informed Terry.

"I will man," Terry replied, rubbing his neck, looking out the door and then back at Odd. "Again I'm sorry about ratting Yumi and you to Ulrich. I was locked up in that giant's basement for two days. No food, no hospitality. They came down every hour to see if I changed my mind and whenever I said no, they did something more to me. I couldn't take it anymore so I caved."

"Don't worry about it. You tried your best. I just need to worry about Yumi more at this point now that he knows where we are."

"I'll try and do whatever I can to help you guys out. But I better be getting home. I'll see you around."

"You, too."

Odd and Terry shook hands before Terry limped out the front door. Odd closed the door and turned to Yumi who was now leaning against the wall for support.

"This is where everything starts going downhill isn't it?" Yumi asked in a soft tone that was barely audible.

"No," Odd replied almost instantly, walking up to Yumi and holding her close to him. "No, this is not when everything goes downhill. I've waited this long for you and I'm not going to let it go now. Not now and not ever."

Yumi looked up into Odd's eyes and saw that they were as sincere as when he swore he would never hurt her, but along with sincerity was a tint of fright. She knew he was trying to mask it but it was still recognizable.

"Yumi, I love you with all of my heart and if Ulrich wants a fight then I'll sure as hell fight for you because I'm not losing you twice in a lifetime. I promise you that," Odd said after a while.

"I love you too, Odd," Yumi said back, not sure of what else to say to him.

Odd bent down and kissed her, feeling Yumi kiss him back as soon as his lips touched hers.


End file.
